The Rules

Chapter THREE

"So dad's... Alive?" Ri whispas.

"Yeah," I say in a cold, dead voice.

"Dada here?" Vic looks 'round with his arms outstretched, waitin' fa our dad ta come and pick him up.

Instead, I pick him up and he settles onta my lap, wrigglin' his head 'round on my shoulda. "Nah, slick. Daddy ain't here."

"Den hoos da'?" Me and Ri turn ta look at where Vic's pointin'.

I find myself lookin' at my fatha. "Have you forgotten who taught you to jump these roofs?"

I scowl and give Vic ta Ri, he laughs.

"My darling Princessa. I only wanted to see my family. Is that so wrong?"

"Yes." I lunge at him, he sidesteps, catches my arms and locks them behind my back.

"Just calm down," he says.

"How 'bout no?" I reply and turn ta face him and raise our arms above my head, his grip still firm. I turn back and kick off tha wall and flip ova him, holdin onta his arms. I hear him grunt out in pain and, givin up on wrenchin' his arms from my grasp, collapses onta tha floor. I throw his arms onta tha floor and spit on him. "Get outta my house."

"Not before I talk to my children."

"No way. Get out."

Ta my surprise, he jumps up from tha floor and pins me ta tha wall, lockin' my arms tagetha with one arm and holdin' a gun ta my head with tha otha. "Never let your guard down, darling."

"You wouldn't," I hiss.

"Try me," he clicks tha safety off and presses tha gun harda against my head. I can see Ri shieldin' Vic outta tha corna a my eye.

"Five minutes," I relent.

"Ten."

"Hell no." He cocks tha gun with his teeth. I grunt and push a "Fine" through my teeth.

He clicks tha safety back on and puts tha gun back in its holster, I hear Ri breathe a sigh a relief.

"How's my darling Riyava?" He opens his arms ta pull ha inta a hug, but she stays where she is. I smirk a smug kinda smirk. Take that, old man.

"It's Ri now. And I'm fine, Dad," she replies as our dad drops his arms back to his side. "Where have have ya been?"

"Out in the city."

"What'cha been doin' round there dad? Criminal activity?" Ri slaps some papas on tha table.

"What's this?" Dad's face hardens and he snatches up tha papas from tha table.

"Just a lil bit a research I been doin. You been doin some bad things, huh, daddy? Stealin cars, robbin' stores, muggin' people. Ain't that right?"

"Ri? How did you get this?" I ask. "We don't have a computa."

She laughs a little, surprisin' me. "What? You think I just stay holed up in here all tha time? I go ova ta Rigg's next door. He got a computa. I watch tha news and there was someone that looked significantly like our dear daddy. So I kept tabs, asked around, got favas from Rigg, did some research, and there ya go." She looks ova ta my slightly confused and shocked face and giggles. "You should listen ta papa more often, Cessa. Neva let ya guard down." She giggles again which turns inta a laugh.

"Well, I must say I am surprised and... Very impressed, Riya- I mean, Ri," our dad says. "I admit that all you have said is true: I have been involved in criminal activities, leading some of them - only the tougher ones."

"So that's what you've been keepin' busy with fa two years. Must be some pretty important criminal activity to leave yo kids fa so long." I scowl.

"Actually, it was, Princessa--"

"It's Cessa. Actually," I snarl.

"Cessa. I finally earned enough money in to come here and get you three. I want you all to come and live with me in the city."

"What? Are you crazy? I ain't leavin' here!"

"Are you serious? You have nothing here. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Just think of Victorin."

"Vic!" Vic pipes up.

"What?" Dad looks down at him.

"Ma name Vic!"

"Vic," he repeats, then turns his attention back ta me. "Cessa, dear, just think of your brother. Do you really think that this is the best environment for him? Do you want him to turn out like 97% of the half-brains around here? You know he's capable of more than that. You are too, and your sister. You aren't at your full potential here. You know that. Come with me. Please. I've got enough money for you all to go to an amazing school."

"Yo right. It would be good fa Vic. Ri too." Dad's face lights up. "But I ain't goin'."

"What? But Cessa-"

"I ain't goin' nowhere. Do you know what I'd be leavin' behind? My gang, my crew, my friends. Yeah, that's right - I have friends. I'd be leavin' 'em all behind. Game, C, Rigg, Big Sal, Red, Chains, Leon, Cash, everyone! I can't just leave. I can't just bail on 'em. They're my family too."

Dad puts two a his fingas on his forehead and goes inta think mode. "How's this? I get you and your friends cell phones."

"What?" I stare at him in disbelief. "Fa all a them?"

"No, of course not," he snaps kinda harshly, then continues calm, "But I may be able to set some money aside for a few. I'm sure you have friends in different areas, so I'll get two for your friends and one for you. That is, if you do come with me. Please put some thought into this, Cessa."

"I ain't goin' nowhere with yo dirt money. What if they find out? You'll get thrown in jail and we'd be betta off right here. Where we started off."

"Oh, Cessa. Don't act like you're not a criminal yourself. I'm sure you've stolen, mugged, broken and entered, all that. Admit it. It isn't exactly easy staying clean on these streets. I would know."

"Fair point. Game already has a phone that he jacked offa someone, so we'd be able to share tha phones ova less people." I pause fa a short moment. "But first: questions. We still stayin' in this city?"

"Yes."

"We be livin' in a house? A propa one?"

"Four bedrooms, kitchen, living room, the whole thing."

"This school. What is it?"

"It's the Academy."

"Oh, no. You don't mean...?"

"Cessa. You know there's only one academy in the entire city. I know you know which one I'm talking about."

"Tha hell am I goin' ta some fancy high-class school. Why not just some regula public school?"

"I care about your education. It takes you anywhere. You need it, trust me, I know. You don't want to end up like me."

"But why can't we just have some regula education in a public school?"

"Favors, Cessa. I'm sure you know about them."

"Don't tell me some teach in that place has got you doin' favas, daddy," Ri says.

"It's complicated. I'm sure you'll find out later, but now is not the time to be discussing it. So what do you say? Are you in?"

"I'm... Up fa it." Ri says slowly, noddin' ha head.

"Yay! Wanna go wi' dada!" Vic gurgles.

I think 'bout it fa a few and sigh, "I'm in."